Holiday boutique raises funds for retirement home

Sister Elia Caro is the administrator of the St. Francis Home in Santa Ana. Caro's order, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, run the assisted living facility at 1718 W. 6th St. in Santa Ana.THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

For nearly 70 years, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters have cared for Orange County's elderly women – changing sheets, shampooing hair and cooking three meals a day.

This weekend, an auxiliary group is hosting a holiday fundraiser to help the nuns continue their work at the St. Francis Home, a sprawling assisted-living home they've run on Sixth Street for decades.

Members of the St. Francis Guild will sell everything from hot dogs to rosaries Saturday and Sunday during the group's annual Christmas boutique and bake sale to collect money for the cause.

“People can stop by with donations or do some early Christmas shopping,” said Sister Elia Caro, the home administrator. “It doesn't mater what they can give, it will all help us to continue to give our services to the community.”

HISTORY OF THE HOME

The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception first surfaced in Mexico in 1874, Caro said. After facing fierce religious persecution by the Mexican government in the 1920s, many in the order fled to Guatemala and the United States, she said.

Five of the sisters were sent to Texas. After multiple moves and assistance from local clergy, the nuns eventually moved into a home on Sixth Street owned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In 1942, a room was added that could function as a chapel. Later that year, a woman asked the sisters to help her care for a few elderly women and, thus, a tradition was born.

The sisters went on to buy the home and expand it, acquire neighboring properties and receiving a county license to care for the aging. The first part of the home was blessed in March 1949; a new wing opened in 1950.

Today, the property spans a city block and includes a large chapel, a convent, the home and numerous outdoor gardens. Fourteen nuns and a few lay people care for 65 residents – the vast majority of whom are women – who need around-the-clock care but are still ambulatory.

The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception order now operates in 14 countries.

THE GUILD

The guild was founded in the 1950s to support the home and the sisters who run it. The Christmas boutique is among its annual fundraisers.

It hosts a Mexican dinner each spring that draws attendees from across the region, said Sister Kathleen McCuistion, guild president. Proceeds help fund major repairs to the St. Francis Home. The group raised about $10,000 this year – the most ever, she said.

The group's Christmas boutique usually brings in less – about $3,000 to $4,000 – because shoppers mostly come from the surrounding neighborhood and typically have less to spend, she said. Proceeds fund the guild's activities at the home and assist with the home's general needs, McCuistion said.

Caro said the guild has provided much-needed upgrades to the two-story home in the 21 years she's been there. Donations have been used to purchase new windows, mattresses, chairs and flooring, and to remodel the home's lobby.

Organizers are hoping to collect enough funds this weekend to give the dining room – a spacious area with a popcorn ceiling, neon lighting and aging floor tiles – a revamp, Caro said.

The upgrades help the sisters continue their goal of serving the county's aging population.

Sister Elia Caro is the administrator of the St. Francis Home in Santa Ana. Caro's order, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, run the assisted living facility at 1718 W. 6th St. in Santa Ana. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Francisco Lopez, a maintenance worker who has been employed at the St. Francis Home for decades, unloads boxes of donated food on a recent morning. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The St. Francis Home in Santa Ana also houses a chapel, which is open to the public. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The chapel at the St. Francis Home in Santa Ana features several colorful stained glass windows. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The St. Francis Home in Santa Ana features multiple spots where residents and those who run the home can rest and pray, including this outdoor grotto. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The sisters who run the home help residents bathe and beautify every morning. Here, Sister Rachel Garcia tends to a resident, while others exercise with stretchy bands in the background. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
St. Francis watches over carefully plotted plants and miniature animal statues in one of the facility's outdoor gardens. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Every morning, sisters at the St. Francis Home help residents bathe and beautify. Here, Sister Marta Manzano removes the curlers from a resident's hair. THERESA CISNEROS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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